See a few of the pros moaning about the lake temp.
Nikki Bartlett was saying it was freezing
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@Whisk said it was cold when he raced there in May a few years ago
They all need to STFU and JFDI.
#Blessed
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Yeah it’s the beeb not having a clue!
It’s a wetsuit swim, so there’s a clue there! 
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Although the talk about colds and a crazy bike might be question marks, every time I’ve heard big Blu talk about Ironman racing, he’s hyper aware of what his limits are and that given his physiology he seems to just have the thought process that it doesn’t really matter what anyone else does, if he sticks to his plan, he will almost always finish first (ignoring Iden a sec).
I remember hearing Macca talking about him in regards to sub-7 - he’s just incredulous about how hard everyone is making Ironman racing out to be. He knows if he does x-y-z on the swim and bike with regards to power and nutrition, he can run a 2:30 marathon if he needs to, because basically that pace is at or just below whatever threshold he knows he has.
Of course race dynamics can play a part - but with that mentality and that engine him or Gustav have to be the smart pics.
Think Lionel will podium - he’s been reigned in now and his results in the past 6 months or whatever reflect that. Unless Talbot has strictly edited out the days when he’s gone nuts and decided to do a full Ironman in training at race pace 4 weeks out because he’s having a crisis of confidence.
AB - foolish to ignore history, would be a miracle if he manages to keep his powder dry on the bike and not end up in bits at the back end of the run.
Expecting some spectacular blow ups giving a chance to some lesser names.
Top 5
Blu
Iden
Lionel
Chevalier
Hogenhaug
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Other thing from his Breakfast with Bob interview is it seems like the Norwiegens have been out in St G for 3 weeks, mainly figuring out the bike course - sounds like they’re doing a full Ineos and using BBS or whatever with wind directions to figure out the optimal way to ride it. Can’t help but feel they are treating it like an individual time trial to some extent (which because of the depth of field might be an optimistic plan?)
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Yet the bike is held together with duct tape.
Awesome. Thanks. Between this and catching up on the world champs snooker finals that’s my Sat afternoon booked.
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Don’t forget the Giro
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That’s a good point @PhilleusPhogg it’s said that being in one of the WC lead packs is far from the steady effort it looks and is an endless series of surges and recoveries.
Having said that, the Norwegian’s ITU background should help with a surgey ride.
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KB now running Cont 5000 on the Cadex bike instead of Cadex tyres 
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Gustav Iden is OUT. He’s sick
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Oh no. That’s a proper shame.
Oh FFS.
That’s a real shame about Iden and really emphasises that this is Lionel’s best ever chance - now or never time for him I reckon.
The water is PROPER cold. They’ve got it down as 15 (or 59) degrees and being a North East UK guy I really thought I’d be fine but when I went in for the practice swim the other day I was really struggling for the first 800m - verging on panic attack which I’ve never had before. I’ll be taking it extremely easy for the first km or so tomorrow - maybe even some breast stroking till I can catch my breath. Between that and the searing temperatures that we’ve got (and are expecting tomorrow) I reckon there will be a pretty massive drop out rate amoingst the pros and the AG athletes. I’m not going out hard - just want to make sure I’m not one of the DNF stats.
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Brownlee out too 
He’s also sick
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Paging Lionel 
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Wot.
This is becoming a pantomime. I thought people wouldn’t respect it as a WC but this is daft! They’re dropping like flies…
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Not sure how being sick and/or injured is disrespecting the WC? Athletes drop out of Olympics, World Cups and we don’t bay an eye.
I doubt AB took that decision lightly.
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Skybet have a market open FYI. Doesn’t seem to have reacted to the Brownlee news. Kristian 3/1
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